Oldskool Rythmn and Blues
by Chicken Yuki
Summary: Welcome to Monte Crisco Junior High, where Farmer Mitchel Blaze and Karen used to role. Let's take a step back in time to discover a short tale of awkwardness, friendship, and a cute and quiet girl who inspired hope. Maybe...
1. Off To Monte Crisco

It was a peaceful, clear, sunny morning in the suburbs of Chickadee City. Most people were out and about doing their own little business, as most of the children had already departed for school.

Among the children were a preteen a boy and girl, leisurely taking their time on their travel.

One was a spirited young lass with long, flowing dirty blonde hair with a pair of bangs, and bright jade eyes. She wore a loose-fitting wine colored t-shirt and dark violet bell bottom pants, along with a pair of spiked black bracelets. She was carrying a backpack that was also colored wine.

The other was a not-so-enthusiastic young man with short, raven black hair and dulled sapphire eyes. He wore a crimson cowboy shirt, and some dark blue jeans. He was carrying a navy blue backpack.

"Awww, man! Junior High at last! You know what this means, Mitch? We're no longer dealing with the kiddie parade! It's practically a new start for us! We have been the odd-ball outcasts in the pasts, but now with this clean slate of ours, we can finally make a name for ourselves!" The girl cheered.

The boy called Mitch took nonchalant glance at his companion and nodded to himself.

"YOU probably could. You've definitely grown in a few places over the summer, Karen. And I see you've finally got rid of those pigtails you've usually worn since we first met at that farm. It seems I was right after all. It's quite the improvement." he answered coolly.

"Bah… It was a hassle getting rid of the pigtails, but at least you noticed some finer points." Karen grinned. "But why are YOU glum, out of all these possible times? I'm pretty sure you'd be psyched for this Junior High thing!"

Mitch groaned. "Karen. Let's think about this for a minute:

We're entering a new school, dealing with this baggage science has deemed

hormones.

You're a girl. A lively one. Back in elementary, it was odd for a partying tomboy like you not to like dolls and stuff. But now that we're in a higher level of education with a more "mature" crowd, people will begin to appreciate your kind of attitude. Especially those perverted idiots seeking a fun time.

I'm a boy. The only things I've had going for me is being weird and "Cute" to the older people. Being the sheer weirdo hasn't helped me much thus far, and I doubt that being a "cute little boy" will hold its appeal with these people. You know what this means? I'm STILL screwed!" he pointed out.

"Oh, come on! You said it yourself! You're dealing with a more "mature" crew now! I'm sure they'll be more understanding to your quirkiness! And, you know… maybe you don't have to worry about being picked on so much! Of course, even if you do, we've been going at it with those self-defense drills since Fourth Grade, so you'll be able to save face and kick some ass when that situation arises!" Karen suggested in encouragement.

Mitch let out a nervous laughter. "Okay, yeah, sure…"

"No! I mean it!" Karen cried. "Even if you haven't been the most liked guy around, you still have that "sincere nice guy" thing going on, so as long as you don't abandon that quality, somebody's bound to notice you!"

Mitch sighed. " "Nice guys" are nothing more than frikin' cannon fodder in this world. And the "unusual" tend to be looked down upon as freaks. After everything I've been through, being a "freaky nobody" doesn't sound so appealing to me." He confessed.

A split second later, Karen grabbed the pessimistic boy by the collar with an angry face. "Oh, COME ON! Don't give me that crap! Doesn't it matter that you still have ME around?!" she shouted.

Despite the storm of anger before him, Mitch gave a chuckle. "That's true isn't it? Out of all my fleeting friends these past few years, you're still palling around with me. I must admit… that's definitely meaningful."

Karen looked relieved to see her friend's good spirits. "There, you see, Mitch? It's not all that bad! All you have to do is look at it in a better way and---"

"Yup. It feels pretty good to have it like this. You're practically my only friend, so that almost makes me a loner living by his own rules. I kinda like it." Mitch interrupted.

"Uh… Mitch?"

"Come on, Karen! You know I don't really like talking to people that much, anyway! You know what? Screw Social Circles! From now on, Mitchel Blaze lives for his own sake and nobody else! Okay, maybe I'll do you a few favors since you're a friend, Karen, but I'm not going to be some pathetic appeaser of the masses any longer! YOU GOT THAT, MONTE CRISCO JUNIOR HIGH! YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs before proceeding to laugh in some bizarre maniacal triumph.

And so, the determined preteen continued to laugh, until a sudden thought struck him.

"Oh, crud. Karen, do you know what time it is?" Mitchel asked while pointing out the fact that he has no watch him.

Karen checked a black watch on her right wrist and nodded.

"Crap! I think we better run, Mitch! It's already 7:30!" Karen cried in a panic!

With that, Mitchel and Karen took off in a dash, while the former screamed at the top of his lungs.

"AAGH! WHY DO THEY HAVE TO START SCHOOL SO FRIKIN' EARLY FOR OUR DISTRICT?! THEY KNOW WE NEED TIME TO ADJUST WAKING UP THIS EARLY!!!" Mitchel complained.

Meanwhile, at the multi-building Monte Crisco Junior High, everyone was in a rush to get to a classroom on time. Apparently, in the midst of the rush, Karen's superior speed got her in first, leaving poor Mitchel in the dust. She quickly checked her class schedule to find the appropriate room and headed off on a hunch.

"_Sorry, Mitch… I really didn't mean to abandon you like that…_"

A few moments later, an out-of-breath Mitchel made it to the campus, with the concern of reaching the proper classroom still weighing on his mind.

"Darn it, Karen! You know… I'm… one of the slowest runners…in existence…" he complained while still catching his breath. He then looked up towards a nearby brick clock tower.

"AAGH! ONE MINUTE LEFT?!" he shouted.

Mitchel quickly whipped out his class schedule while running around the campus in a panic.

"Curses! Why didn't I listen to Mom and "take a tour" around the school beforehand? Now I'm screwed for sure!" Mitchel grumbled to himself.

The desperate boy was hopelessly lost, and the class numbers provided to him were of little help. He continued scanning about, looking for the elusive Class Number "B 200", but to no avail. It seemed he was fated to run around like a lunatic until---

"OOF!"

"UGH!"

Mitchel bumped into another "Conveniently" lost student, but the two of them were thankfully unharmed.

The whimpering student's voice spoke up. "Eh…uh... I-I'm sorry! I was just trying to make it to my first class on time, so I wasn't really paying attention, and---"

"N-no. It's okay. Really. I'm fine." Mitchel assured the stranger.

He then looked right at his new acquaintance. The girl right in front of him had neck-length crimson hair that curled outwards on the side, and big deep-blue eyes. She wore a loose, chocolate brown peasant shirt and a short cobalt dress.

The pair exchanged awkward glances.

The mysterious girl blushed out of nervousness and fear, while Mitchel's faced reacted the same way, but for different reasons.

"Okay. I'm having that same funny feeling I did like when I met that one perky cute girl some time ago, except less blissful and dreamy and more anxious and hopeful." He thought to himself.

Suddenly, the young pre-teen felt his heart pounding as he remained frozen and speechless on the spot.

_"… Oh crap. I'm becoming emo, aren't I?"_

_**Author's Notes: **Sorry for not writing for awhile, but I've been a little busy of late, and in a sense, I'm still am. I was going to do a one-shot, but I decided the beginning of this would be much better, considering the lack of friendship fleshed out between Karen and Mitch in the last one. But, well, this is going to be a considerably short story… done whenever I feel like it… and will probably be finished sometime after getting more of "Cinder Gina" out of the way. (Hopefully, I'll actually finish it.) Yes, that means "Guns and Dolls" fans will have to wait THAT much longer… and I apologize. Anyway, Farmer Mitchel is finally back in his own fanfic, so be thankful for the return of this random nut and his peculiar outlook!_


	2. A False Emohood

**Chapter 2**

For what seemed like a long time, the unacquainted students continued to exchange awkward glares.

But somehow, one of them was more aware of time and conscious than the other…

"Um… excuse me for asking, but are you sure you're okay? You look like you're having a hard time breathing…" the crimson-haired girl mentioned.

Upon hearing that, Mitchel coughed wildly.

"Ah, right! Having to run this far always does this to my breathing!" he thought to himself while trying to stop his coughing fit.

"… cough… so…Cough… sorry. I…. I had to run all the way just to make it here and… cough…"

"Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to aggravate your condition like that!" the girl cried in apology.

Mitchel took a few deep breaths to the side.

"N-no! Like I said! I'll be okay!" He replied in an outburst.

"….Are you sure?" the stranger asked in concern.

Mitchel slowly nodded his head.

"Okay, if you insist…" she said softly, with a hint of doubt in her voice. She took a few steps past the Raven-haired boy, but halted herself and pivoted towards him again.

"By the way, would you happen to know your way around here? I'm new to this school, and---"

Mitchel shook his head.

"That makes two of us, I'm afraid. I just started out in Middle School myself, and I neglected to explore the place beforehand. Sorry for screwing the both of us." He said with a sigh.

"Oh, alright. Well, thank you, anyway." She said before fleeing the scene.

Mitchel reacted with a curious glance and a simple wave as she scurried off. Despite his casual mood, his heart still pounded.

"Well, that was interesting. She was rather cute, I admit, but I still feel funny on the inside. Oh well, at least it's not some twisted form of depression or something. I would so despise myself if I became emo for one reason or another... not that it's a new concept to that kind of person." he thought to himself with a sigh.

Still, the new Junior High Student still had a room to seek, and he wasn't about to let that slip from his mind. He turned his attention to the paper in hand to recall his room number.

"Right. B 200. Where the heck is that?" he gripped.

Mitchel turned his head towards the nearby door and saw a little sign on it.

"Okay, that door says B 209, which means... oh! Hey, what do you know? It should be nearby then!" He cheered.

Eager to beat the bell, the determined Mitchel Blaze ran through the outside hall which would hopefully lead him towards his first classroom.

"B 204, 203, 202, 201... YES! B 200!" Mitchel cried.

Without hesitation, Mitchel twisted the doorknob and pushed open to see a classroom of fair size and little flair.

The curious student scanned the students and noted a reasonable diversity of "personalities" among them. Mitchel saw this with a sigh of relief.

"Okay, so far, so good. I was worried for a sec when I took that Placement Final and was told I would be best suited for Advanced Placement. All these people look average enough. I was beginning to think a score of frikin' super geniuses would flaunt their intellect and make me feel like an idiot for a moment!" He thought to himself.

With that quick thought pondered over, the Bell finally rang, and a loud clearing of the throat was heard. Mitchel turned his head to see a vaguely emotional middle-aged Asian man with combed black hair, and square-shaped spectacles.

"I see you barely made it past the bell. Good. Now please take a seat." he loosely instructed.

Mitchel nodded, then took residence in an empty desk in the second role. He looked around and noticed how barren and dimly lit the room happened to be.

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Mr. Grant Moriyama. I welcome you all to Pre-Algebra." The man droned.

Mitchel smiled nervously. "What's up with this guy? And why does he look like a depressed salary man?" he thought to himself.

"I'm sure you all must feel rather privileged to take part in learning of higher level math…"

"Not me. I HATE it! I'm just here because I happen to make basic arithmetic look like child's play. It's not my fault the system wants to CHALLENGE me!" Mitchel complained internally.

"But that only means you have to work that much harder. Now, before I continue on with this little introduction, I would like to take role." The not-so-happy Math Teacher continued.

And so, Mr. Moriyama called out the names of each student, and all answered back accordingly. For various reasons, there were a few unanswered names. Some students were presumed absent, while some of the names were randomly answered with the explanation that that student moved away, or were transferred into a different class.

"Okay then, if that's everyone, then---"

The entry door opened again, revealing the crimson-haired girl from earlier.

"Ah! I-I'm sorry for being late! I just got lost trying to figure out my class and---"

"It's alright, Miss. It happens to a lot of people on their first day." Mr. Moriyama replied coolly.

He then turned to the side with a sour face, seemingly reflecting on a personal blunder before facing her again.

"So then, would you please give me your name for attendance sake?" he asked.

The girl nodded.

"Leanne Julie."

"Very well, Leanne. Welcome to Class. Please take an available seat so that we may continue."

Leanne nodded again, then looked around for an empty seat.

"…that girl has the same first class as me? Okay, now I feel strange and guilty at the same time." Mitchel thought.

He then scouted the classroom to check for available seating. After some time, he turned to his right, and noticed Leanne had just took the seat right next to him.

"…Oh..." he uttered to himself.

Mr. Moriyama proceeded to go about his long, unexciting lecture about the ins, outs, and rules of the classroom as the entire class stared at the front of the class sleepily.

However, one classmate certainly had a lot on his mind.

"Er… okay! So that girl from earlier is sitting next to me now! Not exactly what I expected, let alone attending one of classes, but it WAS safe to assume she's a Seventh Grader too, so… well, I don't know if it's really worth talking right now. I feel like such a hopeless ass being unable to help her with everything, and---"

Mitchel felt a slight tap on his shoulder and shook slightly.

"Oh crud. Not that stupid mess with my mind prank again! Alright…"

Mitchel promptly snatched the finger touching his shoulder and turned in the direction of where he felt it, ready to snap at the perpetrator of his harassment.

"Alright… Listen up…" he growled in an intense voice… that is, until he released he was grasping one of Leanne's petit fingers.

The poor girl was shaking like a leaf while her watery eyes tried hard to face Mitchel.

"Ah… aaaah…I…. " she whimpered.

Mitchel resisted the urge of slamming his head onto his desk, fearing the disturbance of the class.

"Oh. Ah, you. Yeah… sorry not being able to help you out before. If I had known we'd be attending the same class, I actually would've stuck with you back then. Sure, it was an even chance of both of us either making it before the bell, or being as tardy as you came, but… that must've been really embarrassing for you, huh?" he said in an sympathetic tone.

"N-no! I… understand! Really! I would've felt really bad getting in your way." Leanne replied.

"Is that so?" Mitchel said curiously. "Honestly, I wouldn't have cared as much, considering it's our first time here. I know first impressions mean a lot, but at the same time, I think they're fairly lenient on us first timers. It's a formality of the system, I assume."

A brief silence passed between the two of them. Leanne merely nodded.

"Er… by the way, I'm Mitchel Blaze. You said your name was Leanne Julie, right?"

Again, Leanne nodded silently.

"Oh, good. That's… a great sounding name, actually. Glad to get it right the first time!" Mitchel grinned.

"… Thank you." Leanne softly said with a smile.

Mitchel grinned back. Despite his easygoing demeanor, he still felt quite odd while talking to her. But he was relieved to know that none of this awkwardness was showing through in his interaction.

"Anyway, we should probably stop with the small talk for now. Let's not cause any more trouble than necessary." He suggested.

"Ah…okay…" Leanne agreed. Something seemed to linger in her mind, but she chose to disregard it for the moment.

Somehow, Mr. Moriyama's lecture managed to blather on throughout the entire period about the rules of class, which meant the bell rang before he had the chance to spring up any "practice' problems on the class.

Mitchel and most of the class looked happy to see the hour or monotony finally go by, while Leanne looked very relieved. At that time, almost the entire class found the energy to rocket out of the room, but Mitchel took his time, noting wisely how easily that one door of freedom can cause a traffic jam. But again, he wasn't alone in his departure.

"Uh… Mitchel, is it? Thank you again… for being good to me." Leanne said as she walked up to him.

"Oh… sure, you're welcome. Personally, I would be thinking it's common courtesy, but whatever…" he replied casually.

"Well then, Good day. Let's see each other again soon, okay?" Leanne said with a bright smile.

"…Right. Good day." Mitchel said back.

Leanne nodded once more. She then took out her Class Schedule and rushed to find her next Period Room in a panic.

Mitchel took a few steps outside the classroom himself and sighed.

"Yeah… that was a really cute girl… and now I know I have her in my Pre-Algebra class of all things. And I still feel a little anxious with her. Just please tell me this isn't a sign that I'm going through an emo stage due to all of this. I'm crazy enough as it is…" he thought to himself.

Mitchel swiftly snatched his class schedule from his pocket and scanned it once more. "Okay, next classroom is C 122. Hope it isn't that hard to find." He said to himself.

_Author's Notes: Yeah, another short Chapter, but I have a feeling this story will be longer than initially planned. Still, I'm planning to work on the others._

_And, Thanks, Shippostail, for the only review thus far. I will say no further, as not to "incur the wrath" of people like I apparently did in "Differences", even though that person also threw in a few "unnecessary commentary". I'll gripe when I feel something deserves clarity, and if you think I'm making an uncalled for outburst, you just might be a hypocrite. Anyway, for anyone reading, if you want a preview of teachers to come (look forward to it, because some might make only ONE appearance considering the short length intended for the story)_

_So, here's the other periods:_

_2nd Perod; Social Studies- Ms. Cierra Ravine_

_3rd Period; AP English- Mrs. Liz Thorndyke_

_4th Period; Cadet Band- Mr. Sebastian Bachman_

_5h Period; 7th Grade Art- Miss Lynn Rinri_

_6th Period; Earth Science (7th Grade)- Mr. Blaine Forscythe (?)_

_Do any of these names sound familiar? Yup, expect a few crossovers to occur. Oh, and also look forward to some familiar students as well… namely, Kurt and Rock. But where is Mitchel meeting those guys? Keep reading._


	3. A Scarelt Wench?

**Chapter 3**

Upon reaching his destination, he was quickly bum rushed by a familiar girl with dirty blonde hair.

"H-hey! Karen!" Mitchel cried in relief.

"Yup! We share the Same Social Studies class, remember?" Karen reminded him.

"Oh. So that's what this period is. Well, maybe this should be more fun. That Advanced Placement Math class Orientation was a bore, and that could only mean the work will start to suck." Mitchel said hopefully.

"Good to hear you finally loosen up." Karen grinned. "So, did you find something worthwhile when you stumbled around school, or did your brain start working all of a sudden?"

Mitchel flashed a shaky grin. "…You know, I'm still angry over the incident that occurred on the way here. You know, how you RAN YOUR ASS ALL THE WAY HERE AND LEFT ME IN THE DUST?!" he shouted.

"Oh, right… part of me was hoping you'd forget that." Karen confessed with a nervous laugh. "Anyway, let's try and make up for that crappy start! How about we have ourselves a good time in the periods we share! I could even give you my lunch desserts as part of penance! They say Junior High Cafeteria desserts are supposed to be really good, anyway!"

"Bribery generally doesn't work on me these days, but I guess I can be forgiving this one time." Mitchel said with a sigh, recalling the incident with Leanne earlier.

"Okay! Good to know I'm being let off the hook, Mitch! Honestly, it wasn't such a good feeling leaving you out to hang like that." Karen said in apology.

"Don't think the Teachers will be as forgiving, though..." Mitchel said in a low voice.

":Ha-hey! You don't have to come down on me like that! It's not my fault the teachers can't understand my way of a good time!" she cried.

"You think I do half the time?" Mitchel refuted.

Karen laughed nervously again.

Apparently, aside from her usual fun and games Karen enjoyed as a typical tomboy, she also enjoyed pulling a few over-the-top pranks since Elementary schol, a fact that didn't sit too well with Mitchel in his days as a "goodie-goodie".

"Look... just don't try and do something that'll send you up the river for Life. Considering that you were my only friend back then, it really sucked not having someone to hang out with for a while since your Mother is such a ridiculously talented watchdog during punishments." Mitchel complained.

"What? Oh, come on, Mitch! It's a real thrill, you know! Come and join the dark side for a change! Detention Hall could use a personality like yours!" Karen teased.

Mitchel sighed again. "After being in trouble for the most obscure reasons... no. I don't know why talking about harmless cartoons or complimenting someone's cooking would get me a time out, and then there was that fight last year that I didn't even start. It was four against one, for crying out loud! How the hell am I responsible when I was the only one in that fight to get out of that with scraps and bruises, anyway? The system is stupid, I'm not into causing intentional trouble."

"...Right. Sorry for not being able to help you out, by the way. And, uh... well, I don't know what to say about all those misunderstandings that keep happening to you, but I agree that the system sure stinks." Karen replied.

After finally going through the classroom door and taking up seats in the mid-row of seven, Mitchel got out a piece of paper and started sketching something with a pencil while Karen simply tapped hers on the desk.

The classroom itself was free of wallpaper, but it had plenty of posters and displays of objects that could be obtained through a cross country tour, although some items looked very foreign and exotic.

Soon enough, incoming students occupied the remaining desks, and the bell announced the start of the Second period.

Immediately, a young woman stood up from a desk on the left corner of the desk and presented herself to the class accordingly. She was moderately tall for an adult woman. She had long, scarlet red hair, and lively hazelnut eyes. She wore a loose red blazer and a matching skirt. But what made an impression on most students, especially the males, was her well-endowed form.

"Good morning, class! I hope you got off on the right start today! But if not, perhaps I could use this opportunity to brighten your day! My name is Ms. Cierra Ravine, but you may call me Ms. Cierra or Ms. Ravine! Whatever you prefer! I welcome you all to Seventh Grade Social Studies! Anyway, I'd like to take some to get familiar with your names, so let's do some role call, shall we?" the teacher chirped.

Throughout the entire name calling session, most of the guys in class either replied back enthusiastically, or had to be called a few more times to be snapped out of their daze. Most of the girls were quiet and reluctant with their response. Mitchel replied nonchalantly, while Karen stood up and welcomed the teacher like she was a casual chum. Again, most of the boys took notice at this particular classmate with excitement in their eyes.

As soon as role call finished up, the girls, along with Mitchel, observed with disgust at the "Considerable" state the majority of the class's male population were in.

"Bunch of idiots if you ask me. It's pervs like them that make us guys an untrustworthy gender." Mitchel uttered under his breath.

"Well, now that we all got that settled. I'll try to keep all of your names in mind, and just maybe I can become good friends with each and every one of you!" Ms. Cierra blisfully cheered.

All the guys grinned at this, while Mitchel slammed his head into his desk.

"Well, I suppose some of you might be asking just what Social Studies is! The answer is quite simple, but it can be a little complicated in ways! To put it in simple terms, it's the study of Societies, but that's a little vague, isn't it? To clarify, it's mostly about the study of cultures, of how humanity communicates with each other, and the systems it has set up to thrive in this world! Now, the beginnings of America would be an ideal study, but I'm sure you would prefer to learn about a culture more... exotic, wouldn't you? Okay, then! Let's take the Heavenly Isle of Riviera for example! It's such a marvelous land rich in history and mythology! I've actually been there on a backpacking trip once! In fact..."

Ms. Cierra ended up rambling on and on about her trip to Riviera, throwing in its Mythology and a few tidbits about Botany in the process.

"Ms. Ravine really seems to be into plants and chemicals. Makes me wonder... why isn't she a Science teacher?" Mitchel mentioned.

Karen shrugged. "This may sound a little rude of me, but Ms. Ravine... she gives off a bit of a "ditzy" vibe to me. Maybe she tried to get a job as a Science Teacher, but then the guys in charge might have noticed this same quality about her took her up as a Social Studies teacher instead. I guess she just happened to have a lot of background in culture while going about to learn about plants."

"That's... a pretty sharp and thorough assumption." Mitchel said in amazement.

"Hey, well... I guess I can do quite a bit when the old brain is working!" Karen bragged.

At the same time, most of the guys were discussing... other things amongst themselves discreetly...

"Oh, man! I think we hit the jackpot with this class!"

"Yeah! Look at the jugs on our teacher!"

"She's hot!"

"Not only that, but the Karen chick is fine, too!"

"No way! The teacher dominates, hands down!"

"Why don't you get a grip and see beauty of our more closer-age friend?"

"How about a compromise? Let's just agree that both of them are hot and leave it at that?"

"Okay!"

"Sure!"

"No! Shierra-or-whoever the teacher is!"

"Karen!"

"Ms. Cierra!"

"...stupid perverts..."

Luckily, everybody else was too preoccupied to notice Mitchel's "subtle" input of the conversations.

Again, another class went by with excessive talking by the teacher, and again the bell rung. This time, Ms. Cierra stood by the door to see all of her students out, much to the delight of the eager students.

"Well, now! If it isn't Little Miss Ecstatic! I'm hoping to see that same kind of pep when we finally get down to business!" Cierra chirped when shaking Karen's hand.

Karen replied with a grin. "Oh, I'm sure you will. All this culture and history stuff actually sounds neat! Plus, having to hear about the hard times sure out beats living them, but... all of that still makes for a nice lesson, I guess!"

Mitchel nodded.

"No doubt about that. Karen happens to be the biggest slacker I know, but for some reason, cultural stuff always seemed to catch her attention. She really got into that American Revolution re-enactment too. Although, I think she enjoyed being "General George Washington" a little too much when the American Troops started the attack across the Delaware." he thought to himself.

"Really? I'm glad to hear! See you Tomorrow, Karen!" Cierra cheered.

"Later, Ms. Ravine." Karen grinned before moving on.

Then Mitchel stepped up.

"Good Morning, Mitchel Blaze. I notice you weren't as enthusiastic as the others when I called your name. I hope you can show a little more "pep" next time." Cierra voiced in concern.

Mitchel formed a slight grin. "Ah... do you even know WHAT everybody else was so enthusiastic about?" he uttered quietly.

"What was that?" Cierra asked.

"Ah, noting! nothing! Actually, you don't have to worry about it! I'm just trying to be more composed for this new school! It's all about growing up, you know!" Mitchel replied.

"Well, alright... but you know, showing some enthusiasm wouldn't hurt every once in a while. It lets me know when you're interested... or at least when you're working hard." Cierra suggested.

Mitchel formed yet another funny smile. "...Uh, right... I'll keep that in mind..."

Cierra chuckled. "Good! Let's see that enthusiasm of yours tomorrow, okay?" she said as she clasped her hands together.

Mitchel nodded slowly before running off to find his next class.

_Author's Notes: I'm really hoping to put Cierra in another Chapter… just because she's that loveable of a character. Riviera: The Promised Land Rules!_


	4. Read, Write, Or Suffer

**Chapter 4**

Luckily, it wasn't too far away. Mitchel approached the classroom labeled "C130" in haste, only to see a familiar crimson-haired girl come in before him.

"I see... so she's in both Advanced Placement classes like I am. Yeah, I suppose that makes sense." Mitchel rationalized. "Two classes with her... great..."

Mitchel stepped in to his new classroom and noticed a considerably bright wallpaper and lots of posters depicting rules of English Writing.

Luckily, he still had a fair choice of seats at this point, and like last time, he went with one of the middle row seats. Again, he took out another piece of paper and started sketching a random character with a pencil, until something caught his attention.

"Yo!" a cheerful voice cried.

Mitchel turned around to find the source... only to be shocked by his discovery.

"Wh-what... KAREN?! What are you doing here?" Mitchel exclaimed.

"Calm down, Mitch! I was just trying to surprise you! Didn't mean to give you a heart attack or anything!" Karen grinned.

"B-but... y-you... this isn't REALY your next class, is it?." Mitchel said in a hushed voice.

Karen shrugged. "Actually, yes it is. Apparently, when Ms. Cunningham from last year took me aside, she wanted me to take some placement test for this class. I thought she was joking at first, but she handed me the form and everything. I guess... I'm a much better writer than I thought."

"Really? I thought you pulled off some prank too heinous to be mentioned to the other class or something." Mitchel shared.

"I thought so to. I guess I just got lucky." Karen grinned. "Maybe this won't be half bad, though. I mean, this is a subject I seem to have a handle on, and... maybe I can get along with a teacher once! The upperclassmen around here say this class' teacher is pretty cool, anyway, so the arrangement doesn't sound half bad."

Mitch smiled. "Karen... being psyched for a class... that's Advanced Placement, no less. This could take some time getting used too..."

"Well, I doubt I'm going to turn into some English lit. because of this, but if I can actually enjoy myself for once without getting trouble, then I can live with it." Karen said.

Mitchel sighed. "You make it sound like you have diplomatic immunity in this class." he groaned.

Karen chuckled while Mitchel proceeded with his drawing.

"Maybe this isn't such a bad arrangement. Karen might actually add some fun to this class. And I did hear that the teacher is a friendly sort of character! I might enjoy this." Mitchel thought hopefully.

Suddenly, his peripheral vision caught a "convenient" view of Leanne.

"Right. I don't know. Can I consider having her around a blessing or a curse?" he thought.

A few minutes later, the classroom filled up once again, and the last person to come through the door was actually the teacher herself.

She was a "pleasant" sort who wore a constant warm smile. She short pink hair with a yellow headband, and her squinty eyes made it really difficult to determine its color. She wore a fuchsia buttoned shirt and a long yellow dress.

"Good Morning, Class! My name is Mrs. Thorndyke, and welcome to 7th Grade Advanced Placement English! Now, I know some of you might be wondering just what those extra words in the subject will mean for this class, but I would like to make today's "class introduction speech" short. Instead, I'd like to take this first day to know each and every one of you! I'll simply have you all say a little basic things about yourself, like names, favorite animals and hobbies, etc. Now, I'll start with the furthest desk and work our way forward." The teacher announced.

So each student shared these basic tidbits about themselves. Some threw in a little joke or comment to gather a chuckle from the class, while others were rather hesitant in coming forward with this information.

"Alright, then. Next student!" Mrs. Thorndyke announced.

Karen gave a shrug and got out of her desk.

"My name is Karen McKinnon, age 12! I really can't say what my favorite animal is exactly, but I suppose horses and dogs are okay. I just like to go out and party hard sometimes… and even play a few video games on the side with my best friend." She announced.

Mitchel noticed a peculiar glint in Mrs. Thorndyke's barely visible eyes upon reaching Karen. He wasn't exactly sure what it means, but he felt it wasn't good.

"Thank you for a spirited introduction, Karen!" Mrs. Thorndyke said in a pleased voice. "Now, who's next?"

Mitchel picked himself up with little hesitation.

"Good Morning People. I'm Mitchel Blaze, and I'm 12 years old. I have certain fondness for chickens, and I like to draw and play video games. That's about it." Mitchel announced.

"Chickens, you say?" Mrs. Thorndyke asked to confirm.

Mitchel nodded quietly.

"Interesting. You know, I happen to have an old friend that raises chickens herself. Maybe you'd be interested in getting one for yourself?" Mrs. Thorndyke suggested.

Mitchel shrugged. "Maybe..."

"Alright. Just tell me when you're curious and I can tell you how to get there sometime. I assure you, those chickens are cared for really well." Mrs. Thorndyke mentioned.

Despite the unusual conversation taking place, no one really snickered blatantly point out its silliness. Apparently, Mitchel's particular interest in chickens wasn't much of a bother to the other students.

Mrs. Thorndyke continued having the students do their introductions, which eventually reached Leanne.

"..Good morning. My name… is Leanne Julie, and I'm twelve as well. I honestly do not have a particular preference in animals. I… really enjoy writing and cooking, among a few other things, and I really hope to get the most out of this class. Thank you."

Mitchel's funny feelings started acting up again.

"And then I realize the attraction in her soft voice... it's like I'm gradually developing an illness or something!!!" Mitchel thought while clutching head.

"Oh, I think I've caught onto something very interesting." Karen said in a sing-song tone.

Mitchel turned around slowly. "And what would that be?" he asked.

Karen smirked with mischievous intent. "I notice the way you looked at that Leanne girl. You must have it hard, don't you?"

"What do you mean by that?" Mitchel asked, as if it was no big deal.

"As much fun as I've had with the guys here so far, I think I have yet to have my feelings kick in like this. Come on, Mitch! Your face is a little red in the cheeks! It's so obvious!" Karen grinned.

"Huh? Are you serious? Where's a mirror? I don't recall actually blushing before. Maybe I'm developing a fever or something. I have felt a little odd as of late…" Mitchel replied.

" "Funny", is it? Humor me." Karen insisted.

"Okay, well… I dunno. With that girl around, my heart feels heavy, and I feel internally anxious and moody around her. It's pretty hard to hold a conversation with her at times, but that's partially because both of us are always in a hurry." Mitchel explained.

"It definitely sounds like you have feelings for her. Boy, did that happen quickly for you!" Karen teased. "I was beginning to think your recent run of cynicism would ruin you beyond belief!"

"What? Are you serious? I'm pretty sure those are signs of becoming emo. At least, that's what this one person told me one time. This newfound emoness is just inexplicably coinciding with these pleasant thoughts I have towards the girl. Personally, I want this "emo" thing to stop. Being on the verge of acting constantly emotional and depressed doesn't sit well with me. Heck, the thought of transforming into "Emo Mitchel" is actually starting to piss me off! I said I was going to live for myself, and no one else! Not even for some stupid negativity lifestyle, right?" Mitchel ranted.

Karen stared at her companion blankly. "Who do you talk to in your off time?" she asked.

"Friendly Strangers and Martial Art Hobos." Mitchel explained inexplicably.

Karen was dead silent upon hearing this.

"Alright, everyone! I want to make this first day of English memorable, so I'm going to read an excerpt from one of my personal favorites, "The Alchemist." Mrs. Thorndyke grinned while showing a white cover to the students.

With that said, Mrs. Thorndyke made well on her promised and read her book with raw emotion when it called for such moments. A good majority of the students were taken in with the narrative provided by Mrs. Thorndyke, while a few of them just weren't in the mood to listen. Mitchel noticed that Leanne was especially fascinated with the piece of story provided.

Mrs. Thorndyke stopped with only two minutes to spare before the bell rang.

"So, students. What do you think of the story so far?" Mrs. Thorndyke asked.

The students replied with much approval. Some excited chatter even arose from a few of them.

"I'm glad to here you like it! Now, I know this may sound like a Kindergarten practice, but most of you really enjoyed it, I guess I could hold a little reading session with it every week until we finish! And I think it would be great to get some class participation out of it! After all, there are just some stories that are really fun to read aloud!" Mrs. Thorndyke announced.

Again, this sparked more enthusiastic chatter amongst the class.

"Yes, what is it?" Mrs. Thorndyke said while facing the hand of a strawberry blonde student.

"Uh… I heard we'll be reading a Shakespeare Play ahead of the other people in this grade. Is that true?" the student asked with a hint of nervous.

"Yes, indeed! Sometime during the Winter Quarter, we'll all be reading _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. It's one of the "Bard's" most recognized romantic comedies." Mrs. Thorndyke grinned.

The entire class groaned and grumbled.

"Oh, come now, Class! I know Shakespeare sounds really complicated at first, but you'll come to learn his writing is really like extended poetry! He just likes to play with the language in his writing to further entertain his audience!" Liz explained.

"Great… a love story." Mitchel said sarcastically.

Again, Karen faced her comrade with a smirk. "Funny, hearing that from you, considering your current… "Condition"" She teased again.

"I thought I already told you. I think I'm fighting a case of the frikin' "Emo" right now." Mitchel refuted. "I may not want to be Emo, but there's always something about love stories that get on my nerves. Oh well, at least it's a comedy… that always seems to kill the romantic mood one way or another."

"I guess you have a point. Lovey-dovey stuff does make a sickening sweet atmosphere. It tends to urge constant puking." Karen agreed.

"Well, since I got done everything I wanted to accomplish today, I'm going to let you guys off early today! Have fun next period, and I look forward to know you all of you over our time together!" Mrs. Thorrndyke cried enthusiastically.

The students were all too happy to take advantage of this opportunity and left with fervor; however, Mrs. Thorndyke selectively stopped Karen, which instinctively forced Mitchel to stay before.

"Why, Miss Karen! It's finally a pleasure to meet you!" Mrs. Thorndyke exclaimed.

Karen stared at the pink-haired woman blankly.

"Don't tell me Cunningham made out to be some sort of Writing Prodigy." Karen thought with worry.

"Sasha told me all about you, her precious daughter! Oh, you're practically a spiting image of her when she was that age! Of course, she wasn't quite into this new age punk clothing…" Mrs. Thorndyke said fondly.

"Sasha?! You know my Mom?" Karen exclaimed.

Mitchel joined his friend in her surprised expression with dilated pupils.

Mrs. Thorndyke clasped her hands together eagerly.

"Why, yes! I still remember the good old times. Your Mother, Lillia, and I formed quite the clique back then! I believe they called us the "Beautiful Three"! Sasha was always tough, strong-willed one, and I was so full of youthful spirit, too! Thank goodness Lillia was always there to keep us out of trouble when we were in over our head. I guess there were times we wore more like the "Three Musketeers" than anything." Mrs. Thorndyke grinned.

Karen was again dumbfounded. "Oh no… one of Mom's closest friends. I remember her telling me about Liz and Lillia. This must be Liz…" she thought to herself.

"Now, I recall Sasha telling me how much trouble her daughter has been giving her, so I guess it'll be up to me to keep an extra eye on you while you're on campus!" Mrs. Thorndyke grinned.

Karen gulped. "Busted…" she thought nervously.

"Hmmmm… but I see your charm has already won over a special somebody, huh? And what a charming looking young man, too!" Mrs. Thorndyke said.

Mitchel looked at the happy English Teacher in confusion and pointed at himself dubiously, with Mrs. Thorndyke only more than happy to nod in response.

"Uh… no. Nice sentiment and all, but I'm just her childhood friend and designated side kick. We already went through introductions earlier, so I'm not going to elaborate." Mitchel explained.

"How cute! Her first boyfriend is too embarrassed to state his feelings! Well, don't worry, Mr. Boyfriend! Just take your time before confessing your feelings to the weorld." Mrs. Thorndyke grinned.

"Er… actually, about that---"

"Mitch! Let's just go!" Karen cried while yanking Mitchel off to the side.

"Hey! Karen! Can't I at least explain what's going on?" Mitchel complained.

"No use! Mom told me all about "Liz", or Mrs. Thorndyke…she's a little… "stubborn" when it comes to this sort of thing." Karen sighed.

"…Fine." Mitchel replied reluctantly.

"Well, look on the bright side. At least my Teacher doesn't think I'm totally into some troublesome bitch. Now THAT I would have problems with!" Mitchel thought.

At this time, the two of them decided to flee to the Cafeteria, but not before Mitchel noticed a certain someone stayed behind.

Back in the classroom, Leanne and Mrs. Thorndyke seemed to be talking about something in earnest. Leanne looked embarrassed as usual, but there was a hint of joy in her eyes that Mitchel didn't fully comprehend. The curious raven-haired boy considered going back in to find out what they were talking about, but he decided to leave it alone.

"It looks like a personal conversation to me, anyway. Better leave things as they are." Mitchel concluded before rushing to join his friend in the Cafeteria.

_Author's Notes: Interesting he refers to "troublesome bitches" like that. Anyone remembering "The Differences Between Love and Hatred" should know what this foreshadows coughANNcough, but I digress. Next Chapter: Lunch Time. It's annoyingly short, but it just might establish a potential adversary for the dynamic duo of Mitchel and Karen…_

_BTW: Anybody noticed I updated "Charms of a Scarlet Lady"? Yes, I'm slowly getting back to that. Seriously, please take a look at that fic! For some reason, that thing's faced quite a bit negligence in its run, and I REALLY think that deserves attention if you've liked my other fics thus far! I have about two more Chapters before that goes on hiatus again for the sake of my other stories, so PLEASE!!!! _


	5. The Dancing Dairy Queen

**Chapter 5**

The Bell for 1st Lunch rang, and many people at this time were either waiting in line to get their preferred entrée, or chowing down on a superior home prepared lunch.

Out of the Pizza, Hamburger, Corn Dog, and "Special Of the Day" lines, Mitchel and Karen opted for the Hamburger. After using up portions of their lunch credit, the dynamic duo snatched a few sides, including some strawberry pudding, and skittered all the way to the cafeteria tables to enjoy their lunches from across each other.

"Alright, as I said, I owe you this strawberry pudding pack." Karen said as she slid the pack to her Mitch. "To be honest, I'm not sure if the food drastically improved by the look, but I have a feeling the desserts are still great."

"That's because the desserts tend to be from reliable brand names." Mitchel replied while pointing to the paper lid that read "Pooding " in bold red letters. "If you ask me, this burger looks AND smells like the artifical "baked goods" they served in Elemantry. The entire school district must buy from the same provider or something. Oh well, at least we avoided the "Green Dogs." "

"Yuck… Green Dogs! I still can't believe I tried one of those!" Karen groaned in disgust.

"Just be lucky that you didn't get sick like the other guys who ate theirs. I'm surprised many people are opting for the corndog in this school. Maybe their bodies built up a resistance at this age." Mitch quipped.

The both of them shared a laugh and proceeded to eat however much their food could tolerate, until one haughty figure overshadowed them.

"Well now, so I finally meet the "other" top girl around the school." A girlish voice announced.

Mitchel and Karen lazily looked towards the source of their shadow.

The girl they laid eyes on was a girl with wavy blonde hair adorned with a red hairband and bright emerald eyes. She wore a fitting white sweater with a golden M at the chest, a crimson red skirt, high white socks, and crimson loafers.

She was posed with one hand on her hip with her other loosely swinging, while her toes were pointed inward. Apparently, a bunch of boys turned their heads and drooled in pleasure.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Muffy Mink, already established head cheerleader and top candidate for 7th Grade Student Body President."

Karen decided to oblige and reply with a bold stance.

"I'm Karen McKinnon, all-around partier and dominator in fighting games!" she introduced.

Mitchel then raised his hand after taking a bite from his burger.

"And I'm her designated sidekick and rival in said fighting games, Mitchel Blaze. In case you were wondering, no, I'm not her boyfriend." Mitchel chimed in.

"Hmm…. yes, I suppose I can understand how you've got the guys' attention. You certainly have a "flare" that sets you apart from the rest." Muffy commented. "I really like that about you, Karen. How about it? The boys are definitely wild about the two of us? How about we join forces and capitalize?" she proposed.

Karen chuckled. "I dunno about that. It seems my buddy Mitch is immune to both of our "charms." She grinned while pointing a thumb at a nonchalant Mitchel who was too preoccupied with his lunch.

Muffy took special notice of this boy. "Interesting. I'll have to rectify this problem later on." She thought to herself.

"Either way, you can see the benefits, right? I'm already pretty high up in the social ladder, and now working my way with further influence, it'll be a win-win situation to have connections with me, don't you think?" Muffy explained.

Karen shrugged. "Actually, I don't think being a Class President gets you much in a Public School except squat, but whatever. You really aren't selling this potential alliance to me all that well, to be honest." She said in disappointment.

"Is that so?" Muffy said in slight frustration. "I believe it is of grave importance to know where you stand amongst your peers, don't you think? Because it would be a shame to turn this lovely friendship into a bitter rivalry, and you should know that I do NOT like loosing." She threatened.

"Wait? Is this about me threatening your popularity?" Karen asked. "Well, Frankly, I couldn't care less about that sort of thing. Sure, it's fun being able to hang out with the guys and all, but I'm not striving to be their Queen or anything. Aren't you taking this a bit too seriously?"

Muffy slammed a fist hard on a table. "Are you mocking me?" she cried.

Karen shook her head slowly. "I'm just trying to have some fun around here. Apparently, the guys just wanna loosen up and enjoy themselves as much as I do. I'm not really trying to be the center of attention or anything, that's just how it is."

Mitchel rolled his eyes. "Really? You seem to get a LOT of attention whenever you get in trouble for your little stunts." He thought to himself.

"Frankly, "Miss Muffy", the whole "in crowd clique" think doesn't sound like something that suits me. It sounds a little too girly and constraining to me, and I'd rather be the free roller if you don't mind." Karen finished.

Muffy's eyes looked nearly bloodshot as she shot Karen a death glare. "How DARE you insult what I stand for?!" she barked.

Mitchel sighed. "This is trouble…" he thought to himself while moving on to the strawberry pudding.

"Oh, come on! Why don't you just chill a little? Maybe we can work out your mood in a more peaceful matter?" Karen suggested playfully.

Muffy shot another nasty glare at Karen.

"Not if you're going to continue mocking me like that." Muffy scoffed.

After a few minutes of fuming, Muffy flashed a wicked grin before turning away.

"This little declaration of war makes me sick to my stomach, but I swear I'll make you regret it." She threatened before walking off.

This left Karen very perplexed. "Declaration of War? Since when did I do that? Didn't I just get done explaining to her that I'm not interested in a popularity contest?" she uttered aloud.

After finishing up both cups of Strawberry Pudding, Mitchel got up and stood beside his friend.

"… I sense a dark presence from that crazy." Mitchel warned.

"I have to admit, though. Having that girl approach me because most of the guys around notice me does make me feel a little special. I wonder what other things I have to look forward to because of the attention I've been gathering." Karen smirked.

Mitchel sighed. "You must realize that if you suddenly turn to the dark side, that I WILL abandon you." He threatened.

Karen pat Mitchel's back playfully. "Oh, come on! You know me better than that, Mitch!" she grinned.

"Yeah, yeah…" Mitchel muttered.

With what little time left to him, Mitchel took out his class schedule to check his next class.

"By the way, what do you have next? I got band next. Time to play myself some drums." Mitchel grinned.

"Choir." Karen simply replied. "You know, I thought this whole singing thing was a drag at first, but I guess it's starting to grow on me. Maybe I'll finally sing solos that aren't so embarrassing."

"Just don't let it go to your head." Mitchel groaned. "But at least I'm glad to see you've found a "legitimate" hobby to look forward to."

"Bah… I still wish I could've joined you in band from Elementary. You actually got to play a few fun songs, and it would've ruled to play around with a trumpet!" Karen exclaimed.

"I'm surprised out of all the trouble you get into, that joining choir is the ONE thing you actually do at your Mom's insistence! Is she THAT overbearing when she needs to be?" Mitchel asked.

Karen gave Mitchel a fearful look. "…You don't wanna know." She said in a low voice.

Mitchel nodded silently.

A moment later, the bell rang, signifying the end of 1st Lunch and the Transition period for Mitchel's and Karen's 1st Period. The dynamic duo exchanged a casual farewell before racing off to their respective classes.


	6. All In The Band

**Chapter 6**

Once again, Mitchel managed to find the proper room and building before the bell rang. He stood before a tall wooden door, in the midst of a narrow hallway with a sign that read "A2". Upon opening the door, he discovered a miniature auditorium with plenty of seats. Apparently, half the class had already beaten him as the first two rows were already filled up. He was about to take a seat himself until he observed a spot at the back with the sign "reserved for the percussion section". Knowing his specialty very well, the obedient band member went to the back.

Two other characters joined Mitchel in the back shortly after.

One was a spirited boy with short blonde battle, slightly tanned skin, and amber eyes. He wore a light blue shirt with yellow lining, a white vest and a pair of white pants.

The other was more taciturn in character. He had flame-shaped burnet hair and chocolate brown eyes. He wore a full-on army ensemble consisting of a camo headband, camo vest with black shirt, and camo pants.

Eventually, all the seats filled up. The whole room was filled with clustered chatter until an elderly man closed the door behind him.

He wore a Colonial Style white wig along with a green sweater vest over a white collared shirt and pair of black pants. His eyes constantly squinted, much like Mrs. Thorndyke's, and he seemed lively enough despite his age and proper posturing.

"Salutations, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to your first practice session of Cadet Band. I am Mr. Sebastian Bachman, and I shall be your Instructor and Conductor for the year. If you will please, I request that you address me simply as Sebastian."

The blonde kid looked at him curiously. "Looks like this guy has been at it for a long time now. You think he was once a professional?" he asked the others.

"Who knows?" The flame-haired kid replied coolly.

Sebastian nodded. "Very well. Let us move onto introductions so we can get ourselves well acquainted." He suggested.

For a while, Sebastian called out a bunch of names he was unfamiliar, with the exception for his own. The Blonde in his group responded to the name "Rock Enrole", while the Flame-head responded when "Kurt Cumer" was called out. The whole roll cale played out rather typical until Sebastian reached midway through the list.

"Leanne Julie?"

"Here…" a soft voice from the flute section called back, which prompted Mitchel to turn red.

After roll call finished, Sebastian left the class alone for awhile to allow the members to talk amongst each other.

"So…. You guys are Rock and Kurt, right?" Mitchel asked.

"Sure…" the flame-head replied coolly.

"Yup, that's me!" the blonde cried back excitedly.

"Nice to meet you, guys." Mitchel cried back.

"Whatever. I'm just hoping neither of you are screw-ups like the last band I was with. We couldn't really play together, and it didn't help that the rest of my percussion section was lazy." Kurt griped.

"You don't have to worry on my part. The girls loved my playing so much back in the day, I'm hoping to join a band and kick-start my career someday!" Rock bragged.

Mitchel shrugged. "Well, my old Instructor said I was good enough. I had the luck of working with a cooperative percussion section, and I really shined with the fun songs. I'm sure I can manage if we can work well together." He explained.

"But hey, if the both of you don't happen to be good enough, I'm sure I can cover for the both of you!" Rock grinned.

"He's the one that'll screw us up…" Mitchel and Kurt thought at the same time.

Kurt sighed. "Minus the cocky attitude, your cheerful demeanor reminds me of brother, Joe." He commented.

"Older or Younger?" Mitchel asked.

"Older, but we're twins. He's actually in this class with us." Kurt explained.

"Really? I must've missed his name when it was called." Mitchel groaned.

Suddenly, as if on queue, one of the trumpet players busted out _Reveille._

"That would be him on Trumpet." Kurt said as he pointed out the active player with an American Flag-designed Bandana.

"He's certainly patriotic…" Mitchel quipped.

Kurt shrugged. "Our Dad is an Army man… it happens." He simply stated while pointing out his camo threads.

In response, Mitchel and Rock gazed at his clothes like drooling Zombies and nodded in confirmation.

At this time, Sebastian decided to snap them out of their peculiar trances while getting everybody else's attention."Okay, ladies and gentlemen! How about we start our first session with a few scale and tuning exorcises?" he suggested.

The entire band prepared their instruments while Sebastian stood by patiently. After a few seconds, Sebastian tapped a baton in his hand on a nearby stand, then raised it aloft, prompting the band to ready to ready their instruments. The Percussion section merely laid back as there wasn't really any tuning they had to perform. In the next few moments, Sebastian called out various notes of the letter scale, and called upon individuals to fine tune their instruments accordingly, until finally reaching the higher octave "C".

"Very good! Now that we got all the kinks out, let's move on with our first chorale." Sebastian announced. "Please turn to page ten of your band book."

The Band, including the Percussion section, got out their band books to place on their stands and turned to the page as instructed. Sebastian scanned the room to see if everyone was ready. As soon as he was certain, he once again tapped his baton to get them ready, and rose it once more. With one more motion of the hand, the entire band begun playing. The melody emitting from their joint efforts was soft and enchanting as it followed slow, fluid movements of Sebastian's hand. After what felt like a few lengthly minutes, the band was finally done, with Sebastian grinning at the end.

"Good show, good show!" Sebastian praised. "I wasn't sure how we'd with our first effort, but there's certainly a good chemistry with this group. Quite impressive, especially with the percussionists! All three of you kept the group on the beat and everything."

Rock replied with a thumbs up while Kurt shrugged nonchalantly. Mitchel himself responded with a grin a two-finger salute.

"Well, my class, as good of a time we shared thus far, I'm afraid our time is just about over. You may go ahead and pack up accordingly, but please try not to be disruptive you leave." Sebastian suggested.

Nearly all the students took advantage of this opportunity to leave early. Kurt took his time packing up, while Mitchel hesitated for his own reasons.

"I'm sorry Mr. Sebastian… for being out of tune so much." Leanne apologized while clutching her flute.

"Don't worry. Plenty of people have a bad time sometime, even if it's on their first. In fact, I have an old acquaintance that has suffered quite a few bad days, but hasn't been completely deterred." Sebastian assured.

"I… don't think you understand. I honestly haven't really had much experience in playing beyond private lessons. I was strongly considering joining in at beginning band, but my parents insisted that I enroll in this class instead…" Leanne explained.

Sebastian stood there silently for a few moments before chortling aloud. "Please consider staying aboard, Miss Leanne. You might not think much of yourself for now, but there just might be a reason they've made this decision."

Leanne didn't seem convinced from Sebastian's friendly expression, but then again, she didn't' appear to be the disagreeable type as well.

"…Y-yes sir…" Leanne replied hesitantly.

She then placed her flute in a small black case before heading out. At the same time, Kurt finished up putting away one of the drums.

"That girl has sort of inferiority complex, I think… it's a bit of a shame." Mitchel uttered regretfully.

"She'll get over it eventually… maybe." Kurt said aloud.

Mitchel turned to face Kurt in surprise.

"What makes you an expert with mental behaviors all of a sudden?" Mitchel asked.Kurt shrugged.

"It's just a hunch." He said simply before walking away calmly. Mitchel stood dumbfounded at Kurt's constant cool. Gradually, a smile formed on his face.

"Interesting group I have this year. Kurt's got this whole aloof and intuitive thing going on, and then Rock's a total flirty goofball, but at least he's reliable enough. Yup, this is going to be a fun year in band." Mitchel said to himself before taking off.


	7. Ring around the Rinri

_**Disclaimer: **The character "Lynn" is from Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2, so she property of Flight-Plan and Atlus. And so is the upcoming character "Blaire"._

**Chapter 7**

"C 2-0. Well, here I am." Mitchel said as he read the sign by the door while feeling the outdoor air.

The eccentric, anti-emo Junior High Student took a moment to savor his next class.

"Art Class! Finally! I get to kick back and do art projects! If I can get even MORE lucky, maybe I could finish up early and have lots of free drawing time too! Art class RULES!" He proclaimed in good mirth.

Finally, Mitchel stepped in to join his "fellow artisans". What he discovered was a room filled with cabinets covering most of the wall, with the exceptions of painting displays and color wheel posters. Aside from the wall were a couple of large round chairs with movable office chairs.

"I can't help but feel nostalgic around here for some reason. I can't explain why, though…" he thought to himself.

After a few minutes, a young woman entered the classroom form an alternate entrance from within the building and closed the main door leading outside.

She had long, flowing bluish black hair with similar-colored eyes. She wore a long, maroon long-sleeved sweater dress and a pair of white sneakers. Much like Miss Cierra from Social Studies, she had a noticeably mature body, but unlike her ditzy counterpart, there was a distinct air of intellect about her.

"Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you for joining me for 7th Grade Art! If you happen to be in the wrong class, please tell me immediately, and I should be able to tell you where to go." She announced.

The young lady waited a few seconds for someone to either raise their hand or come up to her, but every student remained sedentary, especially most of the male students.

"Okay, so we have no mistakes this time? Great! Then let's move on with the introduction." The woman said with pleasure.

"My name is Miss Rinri, but I don't mind at all if you decide to go with just Lynn. I'll be your teacher for the semester, and I look forward o getting to know each and every one of you through your unique expressions."

Mitchel was actually preoccupied with sketching through the introduction to ignore the annoyance caused by male hormones, but he couldn't shake off the familiar feeling of his art teacher's voice. He decided to look up at Miss Rinri just to satisfy his curiosity, only to feel an even stronger hint of déjà vu.

"…Wait a minute!" Mitchel thought.

"Alright! Everybody get out a piece of paper and prepare a nice, basic introduction including a brief sketch to represent you!" Miss Rinri said while she clapped her hand.

Immediately after hearing that, Mitchel dumped his head in a hurry while he

snatched up another piece of paper from his bag. The artsy boy proceeded to sketch like mad while acting inexplicably avoidant.

While everybody went to work on their intros and sketches, Miss Rinri walked around the room while observing everyone's work. Eventually she came across Mitchel and looked at the back of his head curiously.

Miss Rinri gasped. "Could it be…" she uttered softly.

In the midst of his work, Mitchel felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Yes?" he said while turning around, only to meet face to face with Miss Rinri.

The art teacher gasped again. "It's really you!" she exclaimed.

Mitchel quivered. "Eh…"

He didn't have much time to respond coherently. Instead, he was dealt the tightest hug of his young life.

""Little Mish"! I can't believe it's been so long! You've already grown so much from that cute little boy I remember!" Miss Rinri cried.

"Uh… Miss Lynn… hi… nice to see you again, too… but, I can pronounce my name properly now… it's Mitchel." The boy corrected while struggling to breathe.

"I still remember that beautiful "Witch Soulstone" replica you made for Kindergarten. Say, are you still working in crafts/" Miss Rinri asked.

"No… I mostly sketch in pen or pencil…" Mitchel merely got out.

In the midst of Mitchel and Miss Rinri's embrace, the breathless student was met with many jealous glares. Mitchel responded immediately with a threatening glare that forced his offenders to back off.

After a little while, Miss Rinri released her hold on Mitchel and clapped her hands together again.

"Ah, how fine! You're still pursuing the arts! I felt you would still be into that." Miss Rinri grinned pleasantly.

"… I guess you were right, then…" Mitchel replied.

The avid artist recalled his first time with his current art teacher. He remembered her as "Miss Lynn", a compassionate Assistant Kindergarten teacher who was good with people in general. Looking back, he realized she was actually very bright for someone who contributed to Kindergarten education, and was unusually perceptive person in general. Despite all of this, her disposition as a socialite seemed to suit her previous position perfectly.

"So, Miss Lynn… what got you into teaching Junior High Art, Anyway?" he asked.

Miss Rinri looked all too pleased to answer. "I still look back on my days co-teaching Kindergarten quite fondly, but I suppose I decided to see if I could help the teens of this generation! All this angst and bad influence is a grave concern, after all!" she explained.

Mitchel sighed. "Well, there's no way I'm going to be caught dead ingesting up that lame teen angst melodrama crap! I'm fighting the system in order to define in my own mind what it means to be a teenager!" he proclaimed while clenching his fist.

Miss Rinri applauded Mitchel's attitude. "That's a very admirable of you to strive for! Most people seem to caught up in the social atmosphere at this age that you rarely see this sort of outlook."

Again, the other male students growled furiously at Mitchel for the favoritism he quickly gained, while Mitchel shook his fist back at them and let out an even more menacing growl with bloodshot eyes.

"Unfortunately, as much as I enjoy catching up with a cute friend of mine, I'm afraid I'll have to get back to my teaching." Miss Rinri said regretfully.

Mitchel shrugged.

"Then lead the way, Teacher." He replied nonchalantly.

Miss Rinri responded back with a pleasant smile and a graceful bow before proceeding with class. Again, she clapped loudly to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, Class! I think that's just enough time. Let's start showing our personal sketches one at a time!" Miss Rinri announced.

Mitchel thought back to his old days with Miss Rinri in Kindergarten with mixed emotions.

"Hmm… despite how over-affectionate she was with me back then, I guess… it was her pleasant smile that sank into me as part of the "ideal woman" image. And she was a really cool Assistant Teacher back then. I guess… the educators in your early years really have a great influence in your life." He thought to himself.

He then reminded himself of how she is being addressed.

""Miss" Lynn. I'm surprised she still isn't married. Considering all the dribbling douche bags that make up part of this art class, I would assume she would be a prime catch in the adult world, but… I'll assume she has her own reasons for now. Well, she still IS quite young. She was like Nineteen or Something when she helped out in my Kindergarten class. Dunno where she found the time to get an Art Degree, though."

The entire "sketch introduction" session went by without a hitch. When it was Mitchel's turn, he simply offered the usual info while displaying his picture of a ninja chicken, which garnered a few questions from the rest of the class. The anti-melodramatic teen answered the questions hesitantly; however.

After all the introductions were good and done, Miss Lynn clapped her hands again.

"Very good! It looks like we have quite the artistic class this year!" Miss Rinri praised. "I just can't wait to see what sort of work each and every one of you will produce for the semester!

A number of the students chuckled bashfully. Some merely nodded in acknowledgement. Mitchel looked around the class to check out some of the posters displayed around the room.

"Alright! Before I let you all go, I want to let you all know that our first project will be watercolor paintings on flowers! I hope you all look forward to it!" Lynn announced to the class.

With that message passed, the bell rang, and despite a few infatuations among the students, most of the class rushed out once more to get to their next period.

Mitchel attempted the same, but he was stopped by a undeniably pleased teacher.

"I really look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Little Mish." Miss Rinri grinned.

"Ugh… I'm telling you! I can say my name correctly now! It's Mitchel!" he cried aloud.

Lynn nodded. "Right, Mitchel. I guess I'll have to let you go for now… until next time, of course." Miss Rinri teased.

Mitchel left silently as he escaped the clutches of his considerable beauty of a teacher.


	8. The Master of Science

**_Disclaimer: _**_The mysterious creature that appears at the end of the Chapter is property of Flight Plan, since they made Summon Night: Swordcraft Story 2.__ And so does the eccentric teacher that appears as well._**  
**

**Chapter 8**

"Well, that was interesting seeing Miss Lynn all nice and mature with her youth intact. Now my only class left is a little earth science. I heard Mr. Forscythe is a lot on the eccentric side, but I doubt he could out do Ms. Cierra or myself in that quality. Oh well, My Older Sister enjoyed him enough, and that's all that truly matters, right?" Mitchel said to himself.

It didn't take him long before he reached his next class, which was labled C230. Mitchel decided not to waste any time and twisted the doorknob in haste. After twisting the doorknob and forcing it open, he saw a lot of tables to his right, with a single long table and sink to his left. Much like his art class, many cabinets and shelves covered most of the walls, with a few sinks installed as well.

After looking around for awhile, Mitchel decided to take up a seat as usual. The only differences from this routine is that a familiar sound of racous laughter drew him in. The curious student headed towards a sociaible crowd in the middle row of tables to see his longtime companion laughing along with a boy guys.

"Karen..." Mitchel uttered with a composed look.

All the guys around Karen stared at Mitchel while Karen herself grinned back.

"Yo, Mitch! How's it hanging?" she asked in her usual cheer.

"Did I not warn you that if you turn to the darkside, that I will have no choice but do abandon you?" He reminded her coolly.

The guys felt their lady pal was being threatened while Karen simply laughed heartily. "Come on, Mitch! You don't have to speak to me like that now! We're all just a group of guys having fun together and screwing over the stupidity of pointless law and order." She happily answered back.

She then took Mitchel by the shoulders and displayed him around for her new pals.

"Yeah, guys! This is my trusted pal, Mitch! The one and same guy I've been telling you about latley!" She told them.

"KAREN! WHAT THE HECK?!" Mitchel exclaimed while trying to escape Karen's grasp.

Upon receiving Karen's message, the guys looked far less miffed and far more interested.

"Oh, so THIS is Mitch?"

"So THIS is him! Sweet!"

"This is that same guy who took a scrapyard bully to stand up for a friend?"

"Chicken Lovin' Mitch?"

"The Most Random Guy Around?"

"The certified badass?"

Mitchel felt confused by this sudden development in reputation.

"Wait, you told them ALL of THAT?!" Mitchel blatantly cried out.

"Well, it's not like I told them anything personal..." Karen grin. "Come on, you gotta admit that you deserve some praise for what you've got done in the past few years."

"... Not for STUPID things..." Mitchel groaned.

"Hey, it's not stupid! We're cool with it, really!" one of the guys cried.

"She said you were a good drawer, too! I wanna see some of your work!" Another cried.

"Yeah, Mitch! Let's see your sketchbook!" Some other guy uttered.

Despite, or perhaps BECAUSE of all of the attention he got, Mitchel looked like he was either on the verge of a nervous breakdown, or was about unleash his demeneted wrath upon the student populance.

"You know... I don't like... big crowds..." Mitchel growled while clutching his head in deep frustration.

Karen's easygoing mood switched immediatley to that of unease as she barely let out a nervous laugh.

"EVERYBODY SIT DOWN!!!" a voice in a back room shouted.

The commanding voice forced everyone to take a seat as a rough young man sauntered into the main classroom.

He had very messy bright red hair and colored eyes burning with spirit. He wore a pair of black goggles atop his head, along with a greyish business suit. He typical positioned himself in a heroic posture, as if ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

"Hello, my apprentices, and welcome to your final hour of the day! This is Seventh Grade Earth Science, and I shall be your tutor in the ways of this subject! My name is Blaire, and make no mistake! While your class schedule may write me off as "Mr. Forscythe," I simply used that name since the system recquires me to register one! In truth, I have No Last Name!" he expalined.

Karen grinned. "Neat! This is the most informal teacher we've had yet." she told Mitchel while elbowing her at the side.

Mitchel shrugged. "Maybe this is part of why my sister thought she was cool." he replied.

"From this day forward, you apprentices shall address me as "Master" Blaire as long as you're in my class, do I make myself clear?" Blaire ordered.

"So much for the "informal" part." Mitchel said to Karen with a nervous grin.

Nobody really wanted to reply to "Master" Blaire directly.

"DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?" Blaire repeated.

Everyone else nodded back silently.

"Good! Now, I have a feeling you've already been through so many class tutorials. So, I'll just make it as brief as possible! You pretty much know all the basic rules by now, right? Respect your classmates, respect the teacher, don't be disprutive and and do your homework, blah blah blah. Well, unfortunatley, I'm going to go deeper into all the "blah", but you can be thankful that I'll go through it bit by bit when we reach that point. So, for the first week or so, you'll just have to make do with a LOT of Reading and Work with easy instruction! Because we deal with a whole lot of messy work, I'm afraid I can't trust you novices so easily with all of the tools without the proper knowledge." Blaire lectured in his own peculiar way. "So, with all of today's "blah" out of the way, let's get to introductions, shall we?"

The quirky Master was just about to follow the way of convention and start either at the front or the back, until he spotted a certain raven-haired boy among the bunch.

"YOU!" he shouted while pointing a finger.

Mitchel gazed back peculiarlly and pointed a finger towards himself.

"Yes, YOU!" he shouted again.

Then, as if my llight speed, Blaire apppeared right by Mitchel's seat.

"You bring me a feeling of nostaligia, son. Care to introduce yourself?" Blaire asked.

Mitchel nodded slowly.

"Uh... hello. I'm Mitchel Blaze?" he said shakily.

Blaire grasped his chin for a moment.

"Blaze, huh? That's even more curious." He uttered alloud. "Did you have any family that went here before?"

"Yes... my sister. Gina Blaze, sir." Mitchel replied.

Blaire pondered over this awhile longer before nodding to himself.

"Gina Blaze, eh? Yes, lively girl. An intelligent sort, too." Blaire muttered.

"And... she told me you were one of her favorite teachers." Mitchel said.

"And with good taste, too." Blaire added with pride.

The hearty Master grabbed Mitchel by a headlock.

"I like you already, son!" Blaire said with a wild smile.

He then shot him a supsicous glare.

"Say... you're not trying to butter me up, are you?" Blaire said bitterly.

Mitchel shook his head vigorusly. "N-no, Master Blaire! I just say whatever goes in my head! It's a bad habbit of mine!" he said in a panic.

Blaire nodded to himself in approval after letting Mitchel go.

"Good. The honest sort. Yeah, I'm not going to take back what I said a moment ago, son. I already like you." Blaire proffessed.

He then turned his attention towards the other students.

"ALRIGHT! WHO'S MY NEXT VICTIM?!" Blaire announced while speeding about the classroom.

Karen scooted towards Mitchel after he had to deal with his close encounter.

"I see you've managed to become an instant hit with one of the teachers." Karen whispered sympathetically.

Mitchel reinvisioned the back time when the beautiful Miss Lynn gave him the biggest in existance.

"...You don't know the half of it..." he thought nervously.

Meanwhile, in an isolated corner of the room, Rock from Band period was busy flirting with burnet girl in a light blue dress.

"Hey, Babe! Have I ever told you about that special formula that says U + ME Equals A Whola lotta fun?" he asked in a silky smooth tone.

The girl replied with a blush and a fit of giggles.

"Hey, umm... am I interrupting something here?" a voice from behind asked humbly.

"Well, as you can see, you're keeping the "Rock" from working his magic, so yes! Could you please leave us be?" Rock demanded before turning to face their interloper.

Apparently, that very interloper was Blaire.

"Ah! Uh, you're an adult... so that means you're the teacher?!" he cried flustered.

He then turned towards his potentiel girl with a frown of regret.

"Sorry, babe. But I think we'll have to split for now. No use getting in deep trouble if it'll make the both of us suffer. You understand." he explained.

The girl nodded bashfully before heading towards her seat.

"By the way, uh... Teacher..."

"Master Blaire."

"Right, "Master Blaire". I've been meaning to ask you this since I laid my eyes on it... but, what's that?" Rock asked while pointing to an energetic, panting dog-like humanoid with green fir.

"Oh, that. Are you kidding? That's just a pet of a friend of mine. I'm looking after it until he gets back from his archelogical studies." Blaire explained. "Now, please get back to your seat, "Oh Great and Magical" Rock."

Rock nodded slowly. "Okay..."

Blaire rushed back to harass his students while Rock hesitated and took one more look at the unusual creature.

"Still, he didn't exactly what you are, little guy. I would think you're a dog, but... you're a little off.." Rock uttered alloud.

"Oh, no, I'm a child of the wind!" The creature answered back cheerfully.

Rock was wide-eyed and shocked to hear it talk, but he decided to leave it alone and return to his seat while consistantly checking his level of conciousness..

Apparently, due to Blaire's relentless shenanigans, the first hour of Earth Science became a notoriously long one...


	9. The End of the First Day

_**Disclaimer: **The "Street Fighter" series, along with "Ryu" and "Ken" are the property of Capcom,_

**Chapter 9**

After a long, tortuous hour in Earth Science, school finally ended. The entire class ran out in relief, just in time to joining the herd of students eager to escape the Campus.

With quite a big distance made behind them, Mitchel and Karen decided to continue their travel at a leisurely pace.

"Well, despite how much the guy enjoys teasing us and calling us "Novices", I have to admit that "Master Blaire" has some pizzazz. I actually kinda like being in that class." Karen admitted.

"I suppose it's refreshing finally meeting a man whose quirky factor finally surpasses my own, but seriously… I think he took far too quick a liking towards me! And it's mostly because I said that Gina thought he was a cool teacher! I never actually agreed with her yet!" Mitchel cried aloud.

"By the way he reacted, your Sis sounded like a model student or something. Didn't really get that impression when I talked to her, but she was all nice and cool to me." Karen said with a shrugged.

"You could say she was, sort of." Mitchel replied. "She wasn't exactly a full-out nerd or anything, but she was definitely on top of her school work until High School. Then she freaked out and acted all bitchy at me from the stress. Man, those were nightmarish times… still, I hope she's recovering well enough in college. It wasn't exactly her dream choice, and---"

"I'm sure Gina will be fine. She may have spazzed out on you the last few years, but I can tell she's a tough one! She's the one who kept telling us to live our lives by our own convictions, and stuff like that! She managed to live out her school career without caving in to preppy "social standards", and I'm sure we can do the same in her stead!" Karen proudly proposed.

Mitchel sighed. "I'm glad that thinking about Gina has inspired you and all, but by any chance, did she further fortify your fetish with the color purple? You seem to be wearing it more and more, lately..."

"Hey! Don't diss the color! Violet is the color of awesomeness!" she exclaimed.

Mitchel chuckled. "I'm surprised then that blue isn't my favorite color. Hell, I wear it almost as much as you wear purple, but I'm still pretty much a "red-a-holic." I blame all the tasty food in the world that's tinted the color red for that. Except ketchup. Ketchup is evil."

Mitchel and Karen continued walking about in silence. While Mitchel looked rather mellow, Karen continued looking at her companion curiously.

"So, uh… how was the going away celebration, anyway? By the way you talk about her, it didn't sound much like a tearful goodbye." Karen suddenly chimed in.

"Oh, I suppose it was in a way. I mean, it was pretty sad, but none of us busted out in tears or anything like that. We're just not the kind of siblings that get worked up over a separation like that. Besides, it's pretty cool being the only child around the house! I like the solitude!" Mitchel replied.

"Alright. I was just wondering." Karen said back.

Another moment of silence passed, but something else popped in Karen's mind.

"Hey, you wanna go to the Arcade and try out that that "Street Fighter Alpha 2" game? I didn't think the Street Fighter series could get much better beyond the classic, but everything I've heard about this new game really got me excited with the funky Super Gauges!" Karen proposed.

Mitchel grinned. "Sure, but we're still going with our usual characters. I'm still itching to kick your ass with Ryu after that last match!"

"Say what you will, but you should realize by now that Ken is the ultimate Street Fighter with his flaming dragon punches!" Karen bragged.

As the pair finally reached the outskirts of the campus, they ended up halting when a familiar figure crossed their path.

Mitchel was shocked and wide-eyed as Karen noticed this in amusement.

Right in front of them, Leanne Julie rushed over towards a sleek black sports car to get picked up. She looked really anxious and made apologetic postures before entering the car. A moment later, the car started up once again and made its way out at good speed.

"Wow, that was pretty nice bonus to be treated to a view before going off, huh? Karen teased while elbowing Mitch.

"WILL YOU CUT THAT OFF?!" he gripped. "Geez, I have one close encounter with emo-ism around her and you claim I have feelings for the girl. I'm telling you, what I'm experience is FAR different than a crush or anything! I don't have any desires to practically stalk the poor girl, thank god, and it's not like I magically want to spend the rest of my life with her."

Karen snickered. "So you say, but you HAVE to admit, you think she's cute, right?"

Mitchel's face turned red as he thought back to the close-up encounter with her. All he could do in response is let out a frustrated growl between is teeth.

Karen reacted by playfully putting an arm over his shoulder.

"Ah, well… you know as they say: "Tomorrow's Another Day!" You'll have your next chance with that sweet girl by then1"

Mitchel smoothly escaped Karen's grasp and continued walking with an agitated face.

"I'M NOT PURSUING HER!" he complained.

Karen merely answered with a chuckle as the both of them walked off towards the bright sun.


	10. Interlude: Recess

**-Interlude- **

On a clear sunny day, in the lively bounds of Raphael Elementary, many little kids were enjoying a special event that they could only enjoy twice in their regular school schedule:

Recess.

Recess was a cherished time in the Elementary Schools who chose to incorporate it, where all the kids got to run out to the courtyard, playground, and track field and do whatever fun activity their heart desired with the given school toys and their own imagination. To most kids blessed with this opportunity, it was truly a 15-30 minute period of paradise to bask in. To some unfortunate few, however, it was the closest thing to hell…

Somewhere at an isolated section of the courtyard, three bigger boys surrounded a considerably smaller boy in the middle.

The prominent one of the three-member gang, a thin boy with messy dirty-blonde hair and hazelnut eyes held in his grasp a white chicken plush toy. He wore a white, short-sleeved t-shirt with incomprehensive multi-colored text and dirty black pants. At the moment, he was laughing and jeering.

"Ha! Who in their right mind would like some stupid chicken toy like this? What are you? Some baby?" the boy mocked.

"SHUT UP! GIVE THAT BACK!" the boy in the middle shouted.

The unfortunate victim had short, jet black hair and angry sapphire eyes. He wore a loose, long-sleeved red shirt with some light blue jeans.

"I will, if you can catch it!" The dirty-blonde boy mocked. He then threw it over the victim's head and into the grasp of one of his subordinates.

This boy happened to be the tallest of them all. He had dark brown hair in a bowl cut, and nearly black eyes. He wore a short-sleeved black t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

"Ugh! I said give it back!!!" the boy in the middle cried again.

"Nope! No way!" the tall guy grinned as he tossed it overhead to the third boy in the triangle.

The last member was barely taller than the first, but had a particularly good build and stature for an Elementary boy. He had slicked-back black hair and light hazelnut eyes. He wore a dark blue jean jacket with matching pants, and a white sleeveless top with a red skull.

The boy in the middle decided to make a sprinting charge in desperation and screamed wildly.

"Ha! Too slow, chump!" the slicked-back kid taunted as he tossed it back to the leader.

The boy in the middle halted himself just in time to catch his breath, and turned around to the dirty-blonde boy once more.

"Oh, come now! Giving up already? I thought you wanted your little stuffed animal back!" the dirty-blonde taunted.

"GIVE THAT BACK!!!" the boy in the middle shouted.

The tossing continued on an on, until the boy in the middle was exhausted and on his knees. Once again, the dirty-blonde retained possession of the chicken plush toy.

"You know, I still don't understand what's wrong with you, retard boy. You're some screwed-up weirdo who tries to be all "goodie-goodie", but then you do something stupid to get into trouble. And you like something as equally stupid as chickens! What the heck, retard boy? Do you still watch all of those kiddy shows or something while peeing your pants?" the dirty-blonde mocked.

"SHUT UP!" The boy in the middle shouted again. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH LIKING CHICKENS, ANYWAY?! I DON'T EVEN GET WHY ANYONE WOULD USE THEM AS AN INSULT! WHAT PROVES THAT THEY'RE COWARDS, ANYWAY?! AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT AS MEAN AND STUPID AS YOU ARE!"

The dirty-blonde boy chuckled in amusement. "Yeah, _really_ great comeback, Mitchy." He scoffed sarcastically. "Your whole chicken obsession is still really lame and retarded. You're probably some hopeless mental case the way you are. I mean, honestly…"

"SHUT UP!" the boy in the middle shouted once more. "GIVE IT BACK!"

"Okay, okay! Here, take it! Your stupid whining's getting on my nerves, anyway!" the dirty-blonde complained while holding it out in front him.

The boy in the middle looked wild-eyed as he rushed towards the leader, only to be cheapened in the end by another toss towards the tall one.

At that moment, the boy in the middle stomped about as the other three watched and laughed in amusement…

"Oh, come ON! Did you really think I'd just give it to you while we're still having so much fun with this thing? But of course, only some retard would fall for that. What was I thinking?" the dirty-blonde taunted.

The leader then turned his head towards the chicken plush toy and smirked deviously.

"Oh, THIS should get an amusing reaction out of "Mitchy" here…" he thought to himself.

"Hey buddy! How about you tear up his stupid chicken toy?" the dirty-blonde suggested.

The tall boy smirked along with the dirty-blonde. "Hey, that doesn't sound half bad!"

The tall boy then chose a wing and proceeded to try and rip it off.

Suddenly, the eyes of the center boy became wild as he rushed at the tall boy, which resulted in a hard fist to the stomach.

But he was a little too lad, as the tall boy anticipated and threw it to the boy with the slicked-back hair.

The boy in the middle used the same tactic as he tried on the last, only to be met with a knee to his own gut.

"What? So now you think could take us on?" the slicked-back boy taunted before ruthlessly tripping him on the hard asphalt ground.

The tall boy quickly recovered, and got up close to the grounded boy with a sick look in his eyes.

"Alright, you're gonna pay, kid!" he shouted.

He then proceeded to kick him in the back while the boy with the slicked-back hair continually kicked him in the stomach. At the same time, the leader watched back in amusement.

The one-sided violence continued in earnest for a long time, until…

"Hey! I don't know what you guys are playing here, but it looks like a lot of fun! Can I join in?" a voice behind called the tall boy.

He quickly halted his beating session to face the voice. "Oh, yeah! You wouldn't believe this guy! He---"

The tall boy was stopped mid-speech as he was dealt a swift kick in the crotch.

At the same time, the boy on the floor managed to find some bearing and grabbed the leg of his assailant, which forced him to trip and drop the chicken plush toy. The previously weakened boy quickly scurried to retrieve his valuable position, but the newly-downed boy tripped him again and quickly recovered. He was about to pay back the desperate crawler for retaliation until he was sent to the ground again with a fist to the face, this time with a bloody nose.

The leader watching at the back soon found himself in a panic as the shadowy figure that violently attacked his cohorts loomed ever closer to him.

"Well, those two weren't much of a challenge. How about you, Mr. Big Mouth?" the voice inquired.

The dirty-blonde boy quickly leaped up as he shook wildly. "L-l-listen! I d-d-don't know WHO you are, b-b-b-but you have nothing to do with this! We were just messing around with him!" he claimed.

The shadowy figure smirked. "Really? Well, would it count as "just messing around" if I made you join your boys over there and dirtied up your face a little?" she asked.

The dirty-blonde looked at his two fallen friends in horror. He had a strong feeling they wouldn't recover fast enough. He then took two slow steps back.

"Y-y-y-you!" the dirty-blonde shouted in a cracked voice as he pointed at the shadowy figure. "I'm… I'm… I'm going to tell on you!" he shouted before he made his quick escape.

The shadowy figure spat on the floor. "Ha, like that's going to do anything useful. You'll just get you and your boys in trouble when they find out what really went on here! Too bad I'm not in the clear, here. Stupid rules…" the figure grumbled.

As all of the action went on, the remaining boy conscious was finally able to get his hands on his treasured plushy and rubbed his face against his happily.

"YES! YES! I FINALLY GOT IT!" he cheered.

The avid chicken lover then groaned and grunted as he struggled to pick himself up on his weakened state. He somehow brought himself up to his knees before taking a few exasperated breaths. He was about to fall back onto the hard surface until a small hand reached out to him. "Chicken Boy" looked at the hand hesitantly at first, but soon decided to grab a hold. In an instant, he was finally standing after being pulled up.

"Oh, thank you." He answered humbly.

His eyes finally met with his sudden savior's. Standing before him was a young girl with dirty-blonde pigtails tied up in violet ribbons. She wore a short-sleeved white t-shirt with a large red grape design at the chest, and a short violet skirt.

"Chicken Boy" gazed at him curiously for a moment. "Wait a minute, you look familiar!" he cried in amazement.

"Well, yeah! I'm the girl that just saved your butt from a couple of jerks!" she bragged.

"Huh, really? That was you, just now? The voice and the beaten bullies and stuff?" he exclaimed while glaring at disbelief. He then shook his head quickly.

"N-no! No this! Thanks for saving me and all, but honestly, I think I've seen you around somewhere else!" he exclaimed.

"Huh. Don't know what to make of it, kid." She answered dubiously.

The pair decided to go through their memories to find out just exactly what the chicken lover was talking about, until one of them recalled hanging out on a farm together.

"Y-you! I remember that funny hair! I met you during that visit to Mineral Town when I was a kindergartener!" the chicken lover cried.

The girl shot him a dirty glare. "I don't like my hair being called "funny", but now that I think about it, I do remember this farm I went to around that time, too. And there was this boy that--- oh, hey! That was you! I think you told me your name, too! It was, what, "Mack" or "Richy" or something?"

"Mitchel!" the boy corrected.

"Oh, "Mitchel", interesting name." the girl said to herself.

"I really don't remember getting yours, though." Little Mitchel groaned.

"Right, I think I had to go back before you did." The girl recalled. "My name is Karen, and nice seeing you around, I guess."

The two shared a friendly grin before Karen started looking around.

"So… harassed, much?" she asked in a sarcastic tone while bearing witness at her defeated foes.

Mitchel let out a cough before he could reply.

"Yeah, it's the same thing everyday! Everybody and class either ignores me or laughs at me because they think I'm strange, and then these guys always come over and to something mean to me! I've tried telling on them a bunch of times already, but then they just treat me even worse, with others calling me tattle tale! And now they started calling me a "retard"! I don't know what the word means, but in the way they keep using it, it feels really hurtful!" he shouted. "Today, it was my turn at show and tell, so I brought my favorite Chicken Plushy with me, and then recess came and they steal it away from me!"

Karen scoffed. "I see. They're bunch of restless jerks, if you asked me. So Mitch, what IS with the fuzzy chicken, anyway?"

Mitchel gazed at it with deep fascination. "I just saw it at the mall one day when my Mom and Sister forced me to come along. I always liked chickens, and I thought this was really cool because I've never really seen a stuffed chicken like a teddy bear before! So, I got my Mom to buy it for me, and it's been a beloved companion of mine since!" he explained.

"I see. So you're a really big chicken fan. Interesting." Karen grinned. "Sure explains why you always ran around with them back at the far."

"Of course!" Mitchel cried. "People have been putting down chickens for some reasons I don't get, but it's stupid! Chickens are actually cool! Don't you think so?!"

Karen slowly nodded her head. "They're… okay, I guess." She answered reluctantly.

"Great! Oh, this is great! Say, you wanna be friends? I think we got a long pretty well at the farm!" Mitchel proposed.

"Whoah, hey! Slow down! First of all, the farm was a long time ago! Secondly, we still don't even know each other that well!" Karen exclaimed. "If anything, you need a trainer or something before going after friends! If these jerks are going to keep coming after you, you're going to need to learn how to defend yourself!"

"But I… don't know how to defend myself! Even if I manage a hit, that guy keeps tripping me! Where am I going to get a trainer to teach me how to avoid cheap tricks like that?" he complained.

Karen chuckled as her pigtails flowed in the stray wind. "What are you talking about? You're looking at her right now!" she announced.

Mitchel's eyes dilated on the spot. "YOU?!" he exclaimed.

"Well, duh! Didn't you just see me take out those two tough guys for you? Get some common sense, why don't you." She sighed. "Yeah, if I can handle myself against those guys, it would make sense that I could teach you how to handle them, too."

"I don't know. I don't really like fighting in the first place, and---"

"Do you think ninjas and karate are cool?" Karen interrupted.

Mitchel nodded slowly with a confused look on his face.

"Okay, then let's just say you're learning all that cool stuff from me. Maybe then you could appreciate it more." Karen explained.

"Er… alright. But are you really a ninja who knows karate?" Mitchel asked curiously.

Karen paused.

"Umm… sort of. Just trust me on this and convince yourself this is useful stuff you're about to learn." She suggested.

"Got it." Mitchel answered.

So then, the peculiar pair left the battlefield in triumph, until a thought came to Mitchel.

"Wait a minute. I overheard the head jerk saying he was going to tell on you. Aren't you worried?" he asked.

"Oh, don't sweat it! I get in trouble and get punished a lot, so I'm actually used to it!" she confessed casually.

Mitchel stopped dead in his tracks to give Karen the widest stare of the day.

"WHAT?!"

_**Author's Note: **Yup," two Chapters for the Price of One" this update. And in case you were wondering, yes, this is the first time Karen and Mitchel meet outside of Mineral Farm. And BTW: The elementary school is named after my favoruite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle! Oh yeah, those were good times…_


	11. Part II Prelude

A few weeks passed since the first day of school…

Mitchel gained quite a bit of attention after Karen's word his "exploits" reached school ears, and even managed to gain a few friendly acquaintances along the way. The surprisingly safe school environment kept his spirits up as he worked diligently enough to finish his assignments and keep grade average good.

At the same time, the wily girl effortlessly became fast friends with the guys with her unbridled tenacity and her sassy spirit. Of course, her developing body proved to be a "helpful asset" in that pursuit as well. As with schoolwork, she did what she could… or would, in most cases. In a miracle that greatly surprised Mitchel, the mischievous girl remained clean of virtually any punishment. Still, to her friend's dismay, Karen shrugged this off with the belief in her mind that _"It'll only be a matter of time before I'm struck with the right inspiration…"_

Still, the fearsome "Dynamic Duo" from Raphael Elementary managed to stay true to themselves in the new dominion of Monte Crisco Junior High. But while things were going particularly great for them, problems are bound to arise for one of them.

In the weeks passed, while Karen had enjoyed her company with a number of her new friends, an overwhelming number appeared distant towards this girl. She would feel the presence of cold glares around her from time to time, and even counter various looks of discontent all around her. No one would speak of it, but there was certainly a force at work turning a previously oblivious student body into a increasingly cynical crowd…


	12. A Not So Welcome Reception

**Chapter 11**

"You better be grateful as hell I decided to get an Alarm Clock this time around. You know how much it was a pain trying to wake up this early on my own just to fetch

your behind?" Mitchel grumbled.

"Yeah, but… after about five to six weeks? C'mon, Mitch! Why the hold up?" Karen replied back.

Mitchel sighed.

"Well, at least it's that new Blue Chicken Alarm clock you were rambling on about for awhile! It must've been cool receiving that thing so suddenly! Man, do I wish I was there to see the look on your face! Your mouth was probably gaping open and panting like a dog, huh?"

The nostalgic Chicken Lover thought back at the moment with an awkward look on his face. "Yeah… that sounds about right." He said with a nod.

Karen laughed aloud. "I bet! Anything Chicken-related seems to get you all worked up with a glint in your eye! Who knows? Maybe you'll actually go back to Mineral Town in the future and become a dedicated Chicken Farmer or something!"

Mitchel shrugged. "Maybe… but for the moment, I'd rather raise one as a pet. Or a guard fowl. I hear a Chicken raised for fighting can be totally kickass!"

The curious blonde cocked an eye at her fellow colleague. "Are you serious?!"

Mitchel grinned deviously in response. "Dead Serious. There's this sport that involved battling Roosters once, but they outlawed out in quite a few countries because they considered it Animal Cruelty. It just goes to show you just how hardcore they can be in a fight…"

"Huh… violent chickens. I never knew…" Karen said back in amazement.

A few moments of silence passed before the lively student developed a devious smirk.

"So… speaking about things you really like, how about that Leanne girl?" she announced shamelessly.

Mitchel shot her a violent glare.

"You certainly love bringing her up way too much…" he answered in a low voice.

Karen shrugged. "I dunno… she's certainly become an interesting part of school life for you, hasn't she? But seriously, the weeks have been passing by and you still haven't done anything? And don't give me that "going emo" crap, I haven't seen you done anything remotely close to being "emo-y", and you still tell me how funny you feel around her!" she crowed.

The disgruntled young man was not amused.

"Karen, I don't feel all "lovey-dovey blissful-wistful" or whatever. I'm telling you, this is different." He explained flatly.

Karen's grin grew wider. "But you feel something around her at least, right?" she teased.

"_Something_, but it's sure not some crazy-ass affection…" he clarified.

Karen's expression changed from teasing and playful to curious and amused.

"Now I'm curious what this "_Something_" just might become…" she thought to herself.

"Just don't fall back on that "Verge of Emohood" theory again, okay?" Karen said aloud in a chipper voice.

Mitchel sighed long and hard. If there were a suitable material around for him to bash his head upon, he would certainly be tempted to do so at the moment.

Eventually, they reached the school courtyard, only for Karen to feel an overwhelmingly cold presence around her. Both students kept their head straight ahead, but Mitchel surveyed the area with peripheral vision in disgust.

"Yeah… the people are still plenty peeved at you for some reason." The vigilant boy quietly voiced to her friend.

Karen nearly bit her lip as she grit her teeth. "What the heck is wrong with these guys?! Honestly… I'm pretty sure I didn't go out of my way to make this big of an ass of myself to these guys! Hell, even I wouldn't dare go that far to have this kind of cold treatment passed on me! Something's not right!"

"Are you sure you didn't simply forget? There has been a few occasions where a few memories "conveniently" slip from your mind…" Mitchel asked back with a coyish look.

"MITCH!" she cried wildly before attempting to bash her friend into oblivion.

"Yeesh, I was just kidding. I know your limits well enough." Mitchel said with a slight chuckle. "Anyway, we better be on our toes around these ornery folk, or else we could be in for something really bad…"

Karen sighed. "You know, that was just uber-corny. Don't ever say stuff like that unless we find ourselves in a horror movie."

Mitchel sighed back. "Right… but I have a point. Just keep look forward, and don't make eye contact to provoke them."

Karen nodded. "Right"

At that moment, the first bell rang and the duo went their separate ways. The other students became too caught up in making their own classes to stare down a clueless Karen.

Mitchel headed straight for Door B 200. He turned the knob while groaning with disgust at the same time.

"Great, another 1st Period of "Good Old" Advanced Placement Math with Mr. Moriyama the "Chronically-Depressed Salary man". I can hardly contain myself." He said sarcastically before finally pushing the knob and making his way into the classroom…


End file.
